


Merits

by MagicMysticFantasy



Series: Cracked, Not Shattered [3]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Akashi Family Connections, Food, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Momoi Satsuki is Awesome, Supportive Miragen, change my mind, mild sexism, the team that survives Teikou together stays together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27298129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicMysticFantasy/pseuds/MagicMysticFantasy
Summary: When Momoi faces some struggles, the Miragen step up, because Momoi is the best manager in the entire sports circuit and they will make sure everyone knows that.
Relationships: Aomine Daiki & Momoi Satsuki, Generation of Miracles & Momoi Satsuki
Series: Cracked, Not Shattered [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1155866
Comments: 5
Kudos: 97





	Merits

**Author's Note:**

> Is it bad that I've been writing fanfiction for seven years now - five of those on this site - and I still struggle to tag things? This one was impossible to tag, haha! Either way, Momoi is awesome as always and the Miragen are good humans. Hope you enjoy!

Momoi stalked into the practice room, huffing a little as she tossed her clipboard on a bench as she went to get a drink of water. The unusual behavior caught the attention of a few of the regulars, and Aomine kept one eye on her as he waited his turn to take a shot.

As Momoi finished getting her drink, the coach walked up to her asking about something, to which the pink-haired girl shook her head. Their coach frowned in response, saying something else, and Momoi shook her head, causing him to sigh. The girl shrugged, shaking her head again before moving to go pick up her clipboard.

A sharp elbow to his side broke Aomine’s concentration on his friend, and he turned his attention back to practice to realize it was his turn to shoot. The incident was remembered but put out of mind until the end of practice.

The burn in his muscles was unfamiliar after so long not practicing (as soon as he started coming regularly again, the coach made him meet with a trainer who had been horrified with the state of his muscles - Aomine wouldn’t admit it aloud, but hearing how close he was to permanent injury from his neglect had been terrifying). It felt good though, knowing that even if he was getting stronger, there was something to work towards again.

“Dai-chan,” Momoi called out to him as he wiped his face with a towel from the stack she’d set out earlier. “Don’t forget we’re meeting with everyone tonight for dinner, so don’t go home right after this.”

“Oh? You’re meeting with people today?” One of the newer members - a first-year named Kudo Taiyou - asked, looking between them curiously.

“Yes! We’re meeting with our old team from middle school!” Momoi smiled at the boy brightly, causing an instant blush to take over his features while Aomine snorted at him. “Even though we don’t play together anymore, we still like to meet up. We also sometimes bring some newer friends too.”

Aomine grunted his agreement, finishing up what he was doing and making his way to the locker room to change. Momoi handed off a sheet of notes to the coach in the practice room before going to change herself, the coach’s eyes following her as he frowned in contemplation.

***

“Where exactly are we going?” Aomine asked, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“It’s this ramen place Ki-chan mentioned finding! They have an all-you-can-eat option, so it works for Kagamin too,” she said, almost skipping along the road as Aomine slunk along behind her. He snorted.

“Bakagami’s coming? Tch, why does that idiot always have to be there when we hang out with Tetsu?” It’s not a whine, but it’s close, and Momoi has to smother her laughter as they continue.

“He’s Tetsu-kun’s new partner, Dai-chan, of course he’s invited! It’s why Takao-kun has an open invitation, along with Himuro-kun and occasionally Kasamatsu-senpai.” She spots the restaurant up ahead and pulls Aomine along, ignoring his grumbles. They get inside and realize they are the last to arrive, the others all already there.

Scanning the crowd, it looks like Himuro took up the invitation this time, but Kasamatsu and Takao did not, leaving them with just their old team, Kagami, and his brother for dinner.

“Momoicchi! You made it!” Kise exclaimed, waving excitedly. Momoi smiles at him, happy to see that he can be more expressive here, where there’s few people and not much of a chance of him being recognized.

“Sorry we’re late! Dai-chan took  _ forever  _ to change after practice,” Momoi complained, sliding into the booth, followed shortly after by her childhood friend.

“No I didn’t,” Aomine protested, picking up a menu and passing one to her. “I took a normal amount of time. It’s not my fault your legs are so short that you can’t walk very fast.”

“Aomine-kun.” At Kuroko’s quiet reprimand, the taller blue-haired boy deflated a little.

“Sorry, Satsuki,” he said grudgingly, only to be ignored as the pink-haired girl’s eyes locked onto Kuroko in delight.

“Tetsu-kun!” she exclaimed, beaming at the phantom. “Did you find anything you want here?”

“I did,” he confirmed quietly. A moment later, realization shone across his eyes. “Ah, that’s right. How was your interview? That was today, yes?”

“Oh, yes,” Midorima agreed, adjusting his glasses as he peered sideways at her. “I assume it went well? You are highly qualified after all.”

“Hm.” Momoi’s expression froze on her smile for a second, before it became more genuine. “That’s right, it was today. Tetsu-kun is so attentive, and Midorin’s a good friend! But no, I didn’t get the position.”

“You didn’t?” Akashi’s attention was fully captured at that, but Aomine was still hung up on their previous statements.

“Wait, what interview?” he asked, turning to her.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” she tried, waving her hands sheepishly, before sighing as he only narrowed his eyes. “Fine, fine. I interviewed for an internship over the summer break. It was for business management - at Viktoree, the sports company - and was advertised to be accommodating to the schedule of those in sports clubs especially. But they didn’t want me, so I guess I’ll keep trying.”

Aomine blinks at her along with the others. Momoi and ‘management’ and ‘didn’t want’ in the same sentence wasn’t computing. Anyone who had experienced her management, either directly or through observation, knew that she was probably the best in the basketball circuit, if not the high school sports circuit in general.

“Sa-chin is the best,” Murasakibara commented absently, still looking over his menu. “They should have hired you.”

“Did they say  _ why _ they didn’t want you for the position?” Kagami asked, still looking perplexed. “Like, what they were looking for that you apparently didn’t have?”

“They did,” Momoi said slowly, turning her gaze down to the laminated menu in her hands to avoid their gazes. “They…  _ implied _ they didn’t believe I had been qualified for the position because they depended on actual skill, rather than just a pretty face.”

Silence fell over the table. Momoi didn’t say anything, deciding she wanted a miso ramen with a lot of greens.

“I’m sorry, have they  _ met you _ ?” Himuro finally burst out, causing her to look up in surprise. “I’ve never even been on a team you’ve managed, and we don’t know each other that well yet, and even I know for a fact that you are the most terrifyingly competent manager I’ve ever encountered. Are they  _ morons _ ?”

“Thank you, Himuro-kun,” she smiled, genuinely touched at the compliment, after a moment of being taken aback. But a moment later, she shrugged in response. “Honestly, it’s disappointing but I’m not too upset by it. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this has come up, so I’m honestly used to it by now.”

“This has happened before?” Akashi asked quietly, eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at her.

Momoi shifted in her seat a little, suddenly a little embarrassed to be talking about this among her friends - all of whom were boys. Setting down the menu with a sigh, she looked Akashi in the eye, realizing none of them were willing to let this go.

“Back in middle school, I was the head of the other managers for the basketball club, since I was the manager for the regulars,” she began. “A lot of them were jealous of that fact, so they would imply I only got my position from dating one or multiple of you. Some of the players even thought the only reason I was kept around was because of my… ahem, figure. Then in high school it happened all over again, and now that I’m applying for jobs - from, well,  _ male _ employees - all they see is the same. Honestly, people everywhere do it, so I’m used to it. And it’s annoying, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.”

Silence stayed across their table, all of her old teammates looking at her with either surprise or indignation on her behalf. Himuro and Kagami were exchanging a look across the table, seemingly communicating with each other silently, before Kagami sighed.

“That sucks, Momoi,” he said bluntly, glancing at her. “I know Alex faced some of that too as a player, even on the women’s team. Let me know if there’s ever anything Tatsuya and I can do to help, yeah?”

Momoi blinked at him in surprise, her eyes sliding to Himuro momentarily to confirm what he said, before returning to Kagami. She was surprised to find her eyes close to watering at the awkward concern and support from the basketball-crazed boy who was usually so brazen.

“I - thank you Kagamin,” she said softly after a moment’s pause. “I will, but right now there isn’t anything you can do.”

“It sucks when your looks are all they see, isn’t it?” Kise piped up from where he was sitting, a slight frown on his features as he looked down at the table. “You could be the smartest person in the room, and all they see is your appearance.”

Momoi hummed in agreement, knowing that out of all of them, he was the one who could probably get it the best on a personal level, due to his status as a popular model. In the ensuing silence, Akashi then spoke up.

“The Akashi family is friends with the head of marketing for Lion,” he said thoughtfully. “I can get you an interview with her, if you would like. I can’t guarantee she’ll accept you since you’ll have to convince her on your own, but Lion is a well-known brand that will look good on a resume and you shouldn’t have as many of the same issues with a woman interviewer. You also might be able to pick up a few tips on how to be a woman in business from her. Would you like me to make the call?”

His offer takes a moment to sink in, before Momoi’s eyes widened in shock. She stared at him for a long moment, ignoring the waiter who had just approached their table. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, before she beamed at him, her eyes a little wet.

“ _ Yes _ , that would be amazing, Akashi-kun! Thank you so much!” she exclaimed. Akashi just nodded, a slight smile curling his lips.

“Of course, Momoi-san, it would be a waste of your talents to not allow you the opportunity to hone them and use them to their full extent,” he replied, turning his attention back to the closed menu in front of him at the table. “I’ll make the call tomorrow then, and she should be in touch.”

From there, they all gave their orders to the waiter awkwardly waiting for them to finish their conversation. Looking around at the crowd of boys around her, Momoi couldn’t help but smile a little. They may all be basketball idiots and a bit oblivious at the best of time, but they were good people at heart and genuine in their concern and outrage on her behalf.

Smiling a little wider, Momoi settled in to listen to Kise and Midorima argue, Akashi and Himuro talk about America with Murasakibara listening curiously, and Kagami and Aomine banter while Kuroko added in a quip of his own every now and then.

She was lucky to have such good friends, she thought fondly, resting her head on her hand.


End file.
